G.I. Joe the Action Force Annual 1991
The G.I. Joe the Action Force Annual 1991 was released in August 1990. Original material Action of the Tiger! Part One Ghostrider and Scarlett fly the Phantom X-19 low across the Jordanian desert east of Amman when the Muhamud, "fierce nomad bandits", fire on the plane and hit the wing tanks, downing it. Two and a half hours later Colonel Shiruf, the Jordanian Commander in Chief of Amman operations, is visited by Lady Jaye who forces him at gunpoint to guarantee that the rescue mission will not be impaired. She reminds him how easily she penetrated security and he agrees. The conversation is witnessed from the rafters by both a hawk with a miniature camera on its collar and the Cobra ninja Storm Shadow. Soon afterwards in the Saudi Arabian desert Duke meets a squad - Lifeline, Tripwire, Roadblock, Psyche-Out, Outback, Wild Bill and Frostbite - and distributes orders. As the only team nearby they must go into Jordan, even though they are only mid-way through experimental training. They start packing to move out. Psyche-Out takes Duke aside and argues that the team has only been together for six days, testing the refitted vehicles, and all the members are getting on each other's nerve, lacking team spirit, so he has recommended the team should never be assigned for combat duty. However Duke tells him there is no choice and they are "Tiger Force". An attack is launched on a nomad camp in the Jordanian desert by the Cobra Crimson Guard. Storm Shadow is disgusted with the Baroness's orders but the latter responds that Cobra is racing Destro to find the stealth plane and has little time. A nomad tells them where they can find the Muhamud at Tehtrad, a dead city where an auction for the plane will be held. Meanwhile Tiger Force is crossing the Saudi Arabia-Jordan border when one of the Tiger Paws breaks down. Outback's transfer to the Tiger Cat provokes a demonstration of the poor team spirit. Meanwhile in a Damascus hotel in Syria, Raptor collects his hawk and informs Destro that both Cobra and Acton Force are closing in on the auction. Destro contemplates a rush to Tehtrad but decides to instead play the various sides off against each other to discretely provoke bloodshed to remove the foes whilst posing as legitimate bidders. He also tells Raptor that Storm Shadow is "the only pawn of Cobra Commander's that I respect and fear" and his death will make it easier to reach the Commander. Raptor promises that Storm Shadow will die. That night in Tehtrad Ghostrider and Scarlett watch as the Muhamud feast and prepare for the auction. Scarlett is also worried about being sold for a harem... Part Two Two mornings later crowds arrive at Tehtrad for the auction. Amongst them in disguise are Lifeline, Psyche-Out, Outback and Duke in disguise. They spot Raptor and bodyguards then Destro and realise Cobra must also be there. Two hours later a Cobra convoy arrives and Destro approaches it to meet the Baroness. She warns Destro to not get in the way. The four Tiger Force members take refuge in an old granary where they load up and radio the rest of the squad, telling them to open sealed orders. They then move out, followed in the shadows by Storm Shadow. In a desert canyon outside Tehtrad the rest of Tiger Force open the orders which tell them to be on standby to take particular action when necessary - the order being "Action of the Tiger". Inside the city Outback makes his way to where Scarlett and Ghostrider are chained up when suddenly Storm Shadow stops him and tells him to leave alive now or die. Outback declines the offer so the ninja attacks. Scarlett shouts out for the Muhamud guards and one starts shooting at the two intruders. Storm Shadow rapidly kills him but more arrive to meet the same fate. Meanwhile Outback picks up his Uzi and levels it at Storm Shadow's chest. He makes the same offer which is also refused and so fires several times, but only one round hits Storm Shadow, wounding his shoulder. Storm Shadow overpowers Outback and is about to kill him when an eagle attacks. Duke radios for back up because in the main square the sound of shots has resulted in rival groups of nomads and dealers attacking each other. The Tiger Cat and Tiger Paw storm in, attacking whilst Duke and Psyche-Out search for Destro. Scarlett and Ghostrider are freed by Outback whilst Lifeline tells them that the bird that attacked Storm Shadow had poison on its claws so the ninja is dying. Lifeline does his best to save the ninja. Duke and Psyche-Out reach the main tent where they find Destro and two dozen Iron Grenadiers surrounding the Phantom X-19. Duke sends the "Action of the Tiger" order and the Tiger Cat launches all its missiles at the tent, vaporising the stealth plane. All fighters look on in horror, the battle over. Duke tells Destro that no-one can win but the latter responds that he and the Baroness now have no obstacles to uniting against their common foe. However the Tiger Fly arrives and destroys one of the Cobra A.P.C.s. Wild Bill uses his loud-speaker to tell Destro and the Baroness that the refitted helicopter has "a mini-gun that delivers ultra-velocity depleted uranium ammo" that can penetrate any armour and he's targeting it at them so they must free the others. Tiger Force leave the city on the Tiger Cat and Tiger Paw, leaving Destro and the Baroness to unite against the nomads. In the desert Duke congratulates the team and tells Psyche-Out that he will make sure Tiger Force doesn't operate together as a fighting unit "well, at least for a week or two, anyhow". In Tehtrad Raptor approaches the bodies of his hawk and Storm Shadow, when suddenly the ninja rises. Storm Shadow comments that he was clearly saved by Lifeline and will one day kill Raptor, but for now they must work together to escape the city. Raptor agrees, but knows he cannot doubt the word of a ninja. Featured characters Featured Vehicles & Equipment Errors * Items of note * This was a prose story with accompanying illustrations. * Ghostrider is not identified by name, with Scarlett thinking to herself that she cannot remember his name, in keeping with his stealthy characterisation. * Storm Shadow is a Cobra operative in this story despite having defected to G.I. Joe in other material and the toyline at this time. Piece of the Action Ace and Lady Jaye are flying aboard the Skystriker over the North Sea as part of a training mission. Two Conquests arrives, flown by Slip-Stream and Scarlett respectively. They are under instructions to fly low to see in the new tracking station in Norway can pick them up but suddenly the station radios to tell them to abandon the exercise as four unidentified aircraft are heading towards the station. The three planes head towards them and find four Rattlers. They engage in battle when Lady Jaye picks up a fifth aircraft - a low flyer. The Joe planes head down to discover a Night Raven flying low along the sea and land. Two surviving Rattlers attack but are shot down. The Night Raven flies straight over the tracking station and discovers its location so the Joe planes head to intercept the Night Raven before it reaches the coast. All three fire at the same time and the Night Raven is downed. Later on the U.S.S. Flagg Scarlett and Ace are arguing over who shot down the Cobra plane when Hawk arrives and explains that the gun camera film from all the aircraft is unclear so the four have to share the kill between them. Scarlett is disappointed but Hawk points out "that's your piece of the action!" Featured characters Featured Vehicles & Equipment Errors * Items of note * This was a comic strip story. * The references to "Action Force" suggest that this story may have originally been produced for Action Force Monthly but did not see print before that title ended in mid 1989. Reprinted material "Mexican Holiday" from G.I. Joe: Special Missions issue #27. Intelligence Profile This annual contains several Intelligence Profile factfiles: * Outback - here retaining the name Stuart Selkirk but given the birthplace of Stirling, Scotland. * Raptor * Duke - here retaining the name Conrad S. Hauser and the birthplace of St. Louis, Missouri, USA. * Iron Grenadier * Slip-Stream - here retaining the name Gregory B. Boyajian and the birthplace of Provo, Utah. * Wild Weasel The T.A.C. Page This annual contains several T.A.C. Pages, with the acronym here spelt out as Tactical Arms Compendium. Each includes a page of text, written in third person, and a one-page diagram of the vehicle in question. The vehicles covered are: * Tomahawk * X-19 Phantom * X-30 Conquest Errors * Items of note * Andy Seddon served as the designer for this annual. * The annual cost £4.25. No overseas prices were printed on it. Footnotes Category:Marvel Comics issues